1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to software quality. More specifically, the present invention concerns ensuring quality of a software application across a number of different operating platforms with different system architectures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Historically, software applications were authored exclusively for a single hardware platform or operating environment. For example, a word processing application might have been authored exclusively for a personal computer running a Windows® operating system (OS). Similarly, an Internet-based music store application might have been authored exclusively for a Macintosh computer running a Mac® OS.
Video games were no different as many game titles were exclusive to a particular gaming platform. In some instances, video games were authored by the manufacturer of the gaming platform. In other instances, however, video game designers and publishers were contractually obligated to exclusively provide a particular game title to a single manufacturer and their particular game platform.
As the variety of gaming platforms has increased and the total number of platforms in the hands of consumers has proliferated, there has been an increased demand for content (i.e., software applications such as video games). While hardware manufacturers continue to produce certain exclusive game titles, the majority of software application development and video game design has become the realm of independent game studios such as Rockstar Games and Vivendi Games. The increased demand for content by the consumer marketplace—which includes multiple game platforms—as well as the increased quality of video games has allowed game studios to wield increased negotiating clout. As such, it has become increasingly common for a single game author to develop their game for multiple gaming platforms as cross-platform availability is demanded by the consumer. Hardware manufacturers have been forced to comply with this increased negotiating power of game designers in order to ensure they have the most desired game titles available for their particular platform.
All the while, competition between platform manufacturers remains intense. Despite the fact that certain platforms (such as the PlayStation® 3 from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) are technically superior in almost every way to those of their competitors (such as the Microsoft® X-Box), software applications such as video games are increasingly without a native hardware platform or operating environment. Game designers increasingly provide the same title and ‘port’ it across multiple platforms instead of writing the game in an optimized way for the specific architecture of a particular platform. As such, a game title may perform better on one platform versus another due to the particularities of how the title was authored.
With competition remaining intense, there is a need in the art to ensure that a common game title meets or exceeds quality metrics on one platform versus a competing platform.